The U.S. Supreme Court 8-1 ruling in the case of Snyder v Phelps is a victory for free speech, particularly the freedom of unpopular “speech” in the form of protests. The ruling states in part, “Westboro stayed well away from the memorial service. Snyder could see no more than the tops of the signs when driving to the funeral. And there is no indication that the...

President Obama began the 2011 State of the Union address by congratulating the freshman class of the 112th Congress and asking people to be “mindful of the empty chair in this Chamber, and pray for the health of” Gabrielle Giffords. The President then mentioned the supposed “debate” between team blue and team red over the last two years saying, “that’s...

  Premier Wen Jiabao is visiting India with a 400 strong business delegation from 15 to 17 December soon after the Nobel Peace  Prize diplomatic difference between the two countries. The list of issues at the geo strategic levels between the two Asian Giants has been adequately covered in earlier posts. There are issues ranging from Dalai Lama, Border Disputes, stapled...

Redefining Threats NATO leaders recently adopted a new Strategic Concept that will serve as the alliance’s roadmap for the next 10 years and that reconfirms the commitment to defend one another against attack as the bedrock of Euro-Atlantic security. The document lays out NATO’s vision for an evolving alliance that will remain able to defend its members against...

Here’s one thing US congressional election wasn’t about: foreign policy. The campaign was long, loud and polarized, but somehow the fact that the United States is at war in Afghanistan and Iraq — and carrying out bombings in Pakistan and Yemen — went almost unmentioned. That’s because voters were preoccupied by the economy, of course. But it’s also because...

Enough has been articulated in these pages about the sham elections held in Burma on Nov 7. The Junta marginalised Suu Kyi and muzzled the media while banning elections in border areas to ensure a clean sweep. Initially we thought that Than Shwe would maintain some modicum of decency but that was not to be. In the days leading up to the first elections held in Burma...

Singh is King There has been much song and dance about the visit of Obama and Michelle to India. Both endeared the youth and the nation alike in India and back home in US dancing their way through the storm of the showdown in the mid term elections. The US got to sign $10 Billion worth of deals with the MMCRA deal also in the pipeline, restored 50,000 US jobs and...